1. The Research Paper Finding Valid, Credible, and Accurate Sources

2. Warm Up Complete the MLA Documentation Practice Sheet handed to you. You will be filling in the correct parenthetical citations.

3. 1.(Donaldson 45). 2.(Jennings 107). OR (107). 3.(Smith 451). 4.(Xavier 253). 5.(Xavier and Yater 544).

4. Where Can I Find Resources? PRINT The library Newspapers Books ONLINE Online databases The internet (google search) News websites Google Scholar Print sources go through a intense publication process that includes editing, review, and fact checking. These resources are GENERALLY valid (the review has been done for you). The internet is trickier…it is unfiltered. Any crazy person with internet access can post on the internet. You must ask if the source is valid, accurate, and credible.

5. Web Resources Databases through Gale can be found on the HHS Library website. These are VALID sources. They have been reviewed for you.

7. Wikipedia While Wikipedia is a good tool that learn background information on a topic, just like any encyclopedia, you should not use it for research. Why? Can be edited by anyone Encyclopedias give facts, not analysis

8. General Websites: What To Look For 1.Is the author identifiable? This can be group or person. Look for a section that reads “about us” or “who we are.” 1.Is there contact information for the author? 2.What is the purpose of the website (education, commercial, entertainment, promotional?) 3.Is the website trying to sell you something? 4.Are there advertisements? 5.What is the domain? 6.Are there spelling errors on the website? 7.When was the website last updated? Is it up to date? 8.Do most of the links work? Good:.gov,.edu Meh:.com,.org Good:.gov,.edu Meh:.com,.org Domain Names Let’s look at an example !

9. Remember, ANYONE CAN HAVE A WEBSITE

10. Let’s say you are researching skiing. Would this website work?

11. I am researching genealogy. What about this webpage? What is wrong with it?

15. What To Do When You Have Found Sources: Books 1.Look at the table of contents or index of the book and find your topic- how much of the source is dedicated to your topic? Several pages? Or briefly mentioned? 2.Is the source factual? Or is it opinion? If opinionated, does it give reasoning for opinions? How do we know if the sources we have found will help us with our research?

16. What To Do When You Have Found Sources: Websites 1.Is the source factual? Or is it opinion? If opinionated, does it give reasoning for opinions? 2.Is the language used on the site emotional? 3.How timely is the source? 4.How credible is the author? Do they know what they are talking about? 5.Does the source make vague, sweeping generalizations? How do we know if the sources we have found will help us with our research?

17. Read them! You should break down the sources for information that will help you answer your research question. So you have good sources…what do you do next?

18. Googling Be smart about what you search. See the graphic for more information about search tips.